


Eclipsed

by esmerelda_t



Series: A Lot of What it Takes To Get By [4]
Category: Daredevil (TV), Jessica Jones (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-12-03
Packaged: 2021-02-26 18:48:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21663310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/esmerelda_t/pseuds/esmerelda_t
Summary: Foggy shoots Josie a betrayed look as he raises his head from where it’s leaning on the bar before turning to Matt, standing at his elbow with his lips pursed in judgement like he’s the king of good life choices.
Relationships: Jessica Jones/Matt Murdock, Matt Murdock & Franklin "Foggy" Nelson
Series: A Lot of What it Takes To Get By [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1422265
Comments: 5
Kudos: 47





	Eclipsed

**Author's Note:**

> Set a few years before the events of A Lot of What It Takes to Get By

Foggy shoots Josie a betrayed look as he raises his head from where it’s leaning on the bar before turning to Matt, standing at his elbow with his lips pursed in judgement like he’s the king of good life choices. Foggy greets him by gesturing to take in the remaining clientele at Josie’s. “Hey everyone! It’s _Matt_ _Murdock_. Dedicated family man. Who’d have bet five years ago that _he’d_ be married with not one but _two_ kids. The second one is even _his_ , or so Jones…” Foggy doesn’t get to finish, Josie’s hand comes down hard on the bar, “Hey! You finish that sentence and I’ll put my foot so far up your ass I’ll be getting my pedicure via your mouth.” She addresses Matt directly, “Sorry, Murdock, I should just have put him a cab and let him choke on his own vomit in his stairwell.” Matt tilts his head, grasping his cane, gives her a tight smile and says, “It’s fine, Josie, thanks for calling me, I’ll take him home, how much on the tab tonight?”

Josie snorts, “You’re aren’t paying it, I’ll invoice him.” Matt grabs Foggy’s elbow and begins to haul him towards the door with a final, “Thanks, Josie. Good night.” Foggy initially pulls against Matt but the moment he was forced to his feet the room started to spin and it’s ultimately easier to follow Matt. The last thing he remembers is the cold air and the heave of nausea.

~

Foggy keeps his eyes closed even though he knows there’s someone standing above him, he guesses he’s on Matt’s couch mainly as he’s certain he’s not on his own and there’s a chipper, constant chorus of “Hi!” either coming from the person standing above him or, more likely, from the tiny person being held by the person standing above him. He cracks an eye to see Jessica, glaring at him, with Christopher on her hip. The baby’s ‘Hi!’ becomes more insistent on seeing Foggy is awake. He vaguely remembers Matt proudly playing a recording to Brian earlier in the week of Christopher ‘talking’, Foggy had grunted and said he was busy when Matt had tried to play it to him. He sighs, “Hey, Jess.”

Jessica grimaces, “You’re stinking up my couch with alcohol sweat, Nelson, the couch my kids sit on. Go shower.”

Foggy struggles to his feet, head pounding and stomach rolling, Jessica nods to the table by the couch, “He left Gatorade out for you.” Foggy notices the bottle and takes it with relief, “Thanks. I don’t suppose you have anything I can change into? Don’t think I’m getting in either yours or his skinny jeans.” Jessica huffs, “I think we have some sweats you’d at least get into it.” She turns to go back upstairs, Christopher waves, Foggy gulps down half the bottle of Gatorade before following her out. He has a suspicion he’s ending up in maternity pants.

~

There’s a bang on the door of the bathroom while he’s in the shower and Jessica calls, “Clothes are on the bed in our room for you, you can get dressed in there.” On exiting the shower Foggy heads to the room he knows is Matt and Jessica’s but has rarely been in. He’s distracted by one of the photos, one of the many Jessica has framed around the house, most of which she’s taken herself. It’s one of the few that Jessica herself is in and is of all four of them together, Matt’s arm is slung around Jessica and he has Dani on his knee, leaning against him and grinning while Jessica holds the baby. They are a sickeningly attractive family. Foggy finds himself staring. He knows it makes him an asshole and that he should be happy for Matt, but he can’t help the churn of jealousy and resentment in his gut. Foggy should even be happy for his _own sake_. Matt comes to work now, he turns up at court, he takes cases for the money, although granted there’s a limit to that. Matt has a mortgage and two children to support and Foggy has benefited from that by ways of a thriving business and a partner who actually does their share. He also doesn’t need to worry so much about Daredevil. Matt’s careful now and there’s been an appreciable decrease in events that were pretty much ‘suicide attempt by way of idiocy’. It’s done wonders for Foggy’s ulcer.

Matt Murdock is now a functioning adult and Foggy kind of hates him for it.

He trudges downstairs and hesitates just outside the kitchen, where he can hear Jessica and the baby, he takes a deep breath and pushes open the closed over door. Jessica is over at the coffee maker and glances over but ignores Foggy to carry on making the coffee. Christopher is in his high chair and puts down his finger food to insist once more, “Hi!”

Foggy smiles at him, “Hi, buddy.” Christopher grins and goes back to his finger food. Foggy clears his throat and sits down, “So where is Matt?” He’s relieved to see Jessica take out 2 cups, he’s guessing she’s not pouring a cup of joe for the baby so one must be for him, as she replies. “He’s taken Dani to her swimming class, they’ll be back soon you slept most of the morning.” Foggy hmms and follows up with, “Thanks…for letting me crash here last night.” Jessica huffs as she pours the coffee, “Don’t make a habit of it.”

Foggy feels ever so slightly pissed off at her tone, granted this is her home but there’s still something galling about being lectured on drinking by Jessica Jones. She puts a coffee cup in front of him and sits across with her own, “So you want to tell me what last night was about?”

Foggy tries to be glib, “Why, Jessica, I didn’t know you cared.” She rolls her eyes, “Oh I don’t. But Matt does. He says you’ve been acting weird with him for a while now.”

Foggy stirs his coffee, “What does he care? He has you now, aren’t you guys the kind of really annoying couple who describe each as other as their best friend?” Jessica lets out a spluttered laugh at that, “Oh my god is that what it’s about? Are you _jealous_? God, you actually resent that he is not totally emotionally dependent on you anymore? Are you worried your withholding affection and approval until he falls in line with what you’ve decided is best for him isn’t going to work anymore?”

Foggy can’t help the surge of angry indignation leaking into his tone, “Excuse me but I _do not_ …” Jessica cuts him off, “Oh please, you _do_. You and Karen both, you’re a couple of self-righteous, judgemental, assholes and it’s no wonder dying in a dragon skeleton was once a more attractive option than coming back to try and live up to your image of what he should be instead of either of you accepting him as he is.”

Foggy feels his mouth drop open a little but he recovers enough as Jessica takes a drink of her coffee to say, “I can’t _believe_ you are blaming that on _us_. We weren’t the ones who left him there, Jessica! That was you!” The look on Jessica’s face triggers an _oh shit_ reaction in Foggy’s brain, he’s not sure what he’s more afraid of, that she’ll hit him or that she’ll _cry_. They’re both distracted by a small whimpering coming from Christopher, who is looking between them wide eyed. Jessica stands immediately and goes over to lift him up, “It’s okay, baby, are we hurting your ears?” She cuddles him to her and kisses the top of his head, grabbing the bowl he was eating from to take back to sit down with. Foggy feels his anger deflating, he really does feel like an asshole now, a baby upsetting asshole. Christopher settles against Jessica and continues to pick at his food. Jessica sighs but pitches her voice low, “Look, I’m not going to argue with you about this. Matt doesn’t understand why you’re mad at him so just…” She’s interrupted by Christopher suddenly perking up with a chorus of ‘Hi Da! Hi Da!’ and about a minute later the front door is opening. Foggy mutters, “Wow, good ears” seconds before Dani bounces through the door with a brief glance at Foggy, “Oh, hi, Uncle Foggy, you’re up!” She makes a beeline for the baby who’s holding his arms out, “Da! Da!” Dani scoops him up as Jessica foists the bowl on her grumbling, “Here, take his food too, I want him to finish it, it’s fine for you and your Dad to constantly be distracting him, it’s not your boobs that are his back up meal.”

Dani carries the baby on her hip with ease through to the living room, making a face at the contents of the bowl as Jessica calls after them, “And don’t’ give him any candy! That’s not helping either!” Foggy only notices on their departure that Matt is standing in the doorway looking bemused, his glasses are off and Foggy has noticed when over before that Matt seems to take them off and leave them on a table with keys when he enters the house, completely at ease in front of Jessica and the kids in a way Foggy doesn’t think he’s ever seen except maybe when they were in the dorms together. It doesn’t make Foggy feel any better.

~

After lunch Matt announces he’s going to take Christopher out for a walk and they leave Jessica dozing on the sofa with Dani tucked in behind her legs reading. Foggy goes along, it not really occurring to him to go home, or rather the idea of doing so really not appealing. When they’re sitting in the park Matt explains, “Dani would pretty much eat anything you gave her, still does, and even when she was still on milk she’d happily take a bottle of formula or expressed milk from me or Trish or Malcolm or basically anyone who’d feed her.” Foggy remembers, he’d been handed a bottle and a baby more than once, even before Matt and Jessica were dating seriously. Matt continues, “Christopher is so much fussier though and it’s a lot of pressure on Jess, she feels she pretty much always has to have him with her in case he won’t eat and she needs to nurse him. He’s tiny compared to Dani at his age, the paediatrician says he’s small but he’s following his centile.” Foggy hmms as if he has any idea what that means and he can tell from the amused quirk of his mouth Matt can tell but he doesn’t interrupt his flow, “So we’ve been told not to worry and that the fussiness isn’t unusual, we just need to persevere with him and keep offering foods until he eats them.”

Christopher is bundled up and looking over at Foggy from where he’s sitting tucked against Matt with his big hazel eyes blinking drowsily, looking like butter wouldn’t belt. Foggy leans over and tugs one booted foot, “Little milk monster, no wonder your mommy is so mean.” Matt snorts, “To be fair, she was mean before this.” His voice takes on a mock seriousness as he says to Christopher, “But he is a very lucky young man to have a mommy who loves him so much and spends half her day trying to get him to eat banana slices.” Matt’s tone shifts as he says quietly, “She’s a great mom, to both of them, _I’m_ lucky to have her, I wish the two of you got on better.” Foggy sighs, “Even I’m willing to admit that Jones surprised us all by not leaving Dani in a bar by the time she was 3 months old. It can’t have been easy, the first couple of years without Lu…” Foggy stops himself but glances at Matt who smiles sadly, “It’s okay, you can say his name, _we_ say his name. It’s important Dani knows who she is.” Foggy nods, says quietly, “They’re lucky to have you too, Jessica and the kids.” He shakes his head, “I guess I just…I always figured it would be reversed. I’d be the guy closer to 40 than 30 with the wife and kids and you’d be the loser who couldn’t get his act together.” Matt answers dryly, “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” He pauses and says quietly, “To be honest I thought that too. I’m sorry.”

Foggy shakes his head, “For your scary wife who’d snap someone in two for you, figuratively with her tongue at the very least and your two adorable munchkins? Don’t be, you deserve to be happy and 95% of the time I’m happy for you it’s just…” He sighs, he may as well just say it, “Marci’s getting married. She emailed me last month.” Matt is silent for a moment and then says slowly, ”So…that’s why….” Foggy completes the thought for him, “I’ve been such an asshole for the past month. Yeah. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

Matt sighs, “But I was always embroiling you in some drama…maybe if we’d told….” Foggy’s reply is firm, “No. That would have made her an accessory too.” Matt visibly winces at that and Foggy adjusts his tone, “Look, Matt, I made my choices, they didn’t work out. Like Ma always said, sometimes that’s just the way the cookie crumbles. Besides, most of the time I _like_ being a carefree bachelor.” He nods at Christopher, “Especially when you come to work with puke on your jacket, so much for the super nose.”

Matt smiles at that, “Oh I knew it was there, I was didn’t have time to change and besides, sorry I’m late, my baby was throwing up oh no do I have it on me is a great distraction.” Foggy acknowledges that, “True, so devious.”

Matt nods, “Yup, it’s why I’m the best defence attorney in the City.” Foggy snorts, “Second best.” Matt smirks at him, “You’re right, Hogarth is pretty good.” Foggy address Christopher, “If your Daddy wasn’t holding you I’d push him off this swing.”

Matt’s reply returns to serious, “You gonna be okay? Seriously?” Foggy takes a deep breath, “Yes, still got you, don’t I?”

“Always”


End file.
